Description: When outspoken Chicago girl, Lee Morris, gets sent down south to “do time” (once again getting in trouble for her activist ways), the last thing she expects is to become the willing submissive of Xander Crete, a hick, football player. The Good: This book is H!O!T! from the beginning and really compelling. I couldn’t read it fast enough. The situation was fascinating, and I loved that the author actually deals with the emotional fallout of a young, budding dom/sub relationship. Lee really struggles with her desires, and you can’t blame her for doing so. The author seems very interested in the psychology of the situation, and the result is a really well-drawn heroine, who is likable without being run-of-the-mill. Check out this...

Description: When Harmony’s brother, a small-time bootlegger goes missing, the Harlem-Renaissance-era jazz singer turns to Sicilian mob boss, Vinnie Romano for help. Cue the epic romance. The Good: This is going to be a pretty short review, because I really, really loved this novel. It’s a ton of story for your buck, and it reads fast. Most importantly, it fully displays Ms. Mynx’s growth as a writer. This is really epic storytelling, and Ms. Mynx has done some terrific character work with Harmony. She’s smart, sassy, and realistically conflicted. There are no two-dimensional characters in this novel, and even the side characters are rather fascinating. The Bad: History buffs might thirst for even more Harlem Renaissance details. The...

Description: When Oceans Delano, a shy Jamaican woman and Marshall Cohen, a privileged-but-somewhat-shady white businessman are stranded on an island together, they must fight to survive and to navigate their growing love for one another. The Good: This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and therefore my “loved” list is rather long. LOVED: all the details about survival — it felt really real, the cultural touches from the heroine’s Jamaican background, the slow burn toward sex — and that it delivered on its promise, the gritty situations, the high-stakes sex, and the realistic conflict. The stakes were high and the story was told in such a way that I truly did not know what would happen next. Pepper Pace is a...

LOUDER by Jorja Tabu is free over at Amazon until this Friday, so I figured now would be a great time to delve into her novella set, DEEPER LOUDER HARDER, which includes her first three IR stories. Description: DEEPER – Prim and proper librarian, Charlotte Goodtree, finds herself loosening up in all the right ways when a handsome contractor enters her life. But will his explosive secret destroy their budding relationship? LOUDER – Up and coming rapper, Ghost Diva (Gabby to her friends), receives the break of a lifetime when she lands the opening spot on tour for multi-platinum rapper, Echo. And, to her surprise, their chemistry burns even hotter off-stage. HARDER – Black secretary, Lisa Tyrell, is just about to quit on her domineering...

Description: Emily, a sweet Georgia blond, and her husband, Rasul, a hard Middle Eastern man, have created a mutually-beneficial, Dom/sub marriage for themselves. Will inviting another man into their bedroom disrupt or further fuel their passion? The Good: This is a really, really, really unusual read. It’s not quite BDSM, but not in any way your run-of-the-mill romance. The narrative is more slice-of-life than straight-forward, and in many ways this story feels more like a character study, with the author digging deeper and deeper into the three people at its center. The sex is written incredibly hot, and I have never read a couple quite like this. I love that they’re both in direct conflict with the way they were raised. If you’re looking for...

Description: When cigar-smoking multi-millionaire Derrick Hoffman finds out that his ex-girlfriend Eva Jacobs is pregnant with his child, he does whatever it takes to ensure that the baby remain in his custody, including blackmailing Eva into a marriage of convenience. But, as it turns out, it’s a thin line between convenience and passion… The Good: First off, that cover is the business, a perfect representation of the hero. I actually picked it up, thinking I wouldn’t be able to review it, but wanting to read it because of its Harlequinesque situation and fantastic cover. Lucky for me, the hero was biracial, so it ended up falling within the IR category. What a page turner! I love a hero with issues, and Derrick had plenty. I also appreciated...

Description: When Crystal asks her widowed best friend, Gail to be a surrogate for her and her husband, Rashid, using one of Gail’s eggs, Gail reluctantly agrees. But when Gail starts dating a handsome divorce lawyer named Greg after her successful insemination, what starts off as a favor soon turns into a complicated love story filled with passion and drama. The Good: Oh, I am mad as Ms. Wynn. I had important things to do the weekend I read this book, but I couldn’t it put it down. This story is such a page-turner, and I was deeply engaged until the end, which is quite a feat for a book that’s quite a bit longer than your usual IR romance. This was a highly, highly romantic read with unique situations that had me on the edge of my seat. I...

Description: After getting dumped by his boyfriend, who also happens to be his boss, an American attorney travels to Thailand on business. Here he meets an enticing-but-secretive young man name Kai, and starts to let down his guard. But eventually Kai’s secret explodes and threatens to take their relationship out with it. The Good: This is a very sweet read with lots of mystery and plot. It’s perfect for m/m romance virgins who may want to dip their toes in the water of this genre with a sensual read as opposed to plunging in with an erotic one. Kai was a very compelling love interest and I was cheering for him throughout. I also loved the character detail of Kai being late all the time. The Bad: The price point of $3.99 felt to this reader like a...